The Final Flight
by cazbro
Summary: Major Sakamoto is slowly losing her powers, but how will she handle it? And will she have the courage to do what is necessary when the time comes?
1. Chapter 1 The beginning of the end?

_Disclaimer__: Unfortunately I don't own Strike Witches. Enjoy!_

**Chapter One**

"Hmph...mnn..."

Yoshika Miyafuji tossed and turned in bed. No matter what she did, sleep eluded her. She lay there quietly for a few minutes and then sat up in bed.

"It really isn't the same as back home," she said to herself. Yoshika turned to look out of the bedroom window. She stared at the twinkling, shining stars set atop a background of blue-black sky. The moon shone brightly that evening, illuminating everything with a soft blue iridescence. Even the sea lapping at the shore looked slightly odd, bathed in the moon's glow.

"Oh yeah..." She said, remembering. "I joined the Strike Witches, didn't I?"

It had all been such a blur. From meeting Major Sakamoto back in Fuso to the trip to Britannia, to settling in and meeting everyone at the base. It had almost been too much to take in.

"I can't wait to tell Mum and Grandma about all this..."

She smiled happily at the thought of home. She lay back in bed and dozed off. That night she dreamed she was back home, flying through the sky with the birds, with not a single care in the world.

Outside the base that evening, a lone figure stood in silence, silhouetted by the moon's glow. She was a slim, athletic-looking woman, standing atop a small outcrop of rock, perfectly balanced and motionless. The sea lapping around her feet didn't deter her one bit. She exhaled slowly, then as fast as lightning she drew her katana from its sheath and executed a slash attack. She paused momentarily, her jet-black ponytail flapping carelessly in the wind. Then once again she moved with pace and precision. Slash after thrust after slash; she became a blur of motion.

Then, just as suddenly as she had begun, she stopped. Breathing heavily, she returned her sword to its sheath. A single drop of sweat trickled down the back of her neck.

"Even this much tires me now..." she said absently, with a hint of regret in her voice. Then she noticed she was being watched from afar by another woman. "Who's there?" she said, spinning around.

"Oh my. Training this late again, Mio?" the woman's voice was full of warmth and caring. She had long reddish, almost chestnut-coloured hair that fell to below her shoulders and barely managed to conceal her large forehead. She was not overly beautiful, but she was certainly attractive and her large eyes and warm smile could put anyone at ease.

"Oh, it's you, Minna. Sorry, you startled me," Sakamoto replied. She silently cursed herself for an instant, for being so absorbed in her thoughts that she had allowed someone to get so close to her without being detected. In an actual battle, she could be dead by now because of that.

With no apparent effort whatsoever, Sakamoto leapt up off the rock she was perched on, arced through the air and landed nimbly beside Minna. The jump had been at least 15 meters, maybe more. No human could have done that. However, Sakamoto was more than just human.

"Come, let's go back inside. You'll catch your death out here, Mio," said Minna. Her tone was gentle but carried with it the force of a command.

"Okay," came the reply, and the two women walked together in silence back into the base.

The next morning everyone was woken abruptly by the shrill shriek of an alarm.

"Uh...Wha...What's going on?" mumbled Yoshika, as she struggled to get out of bed. She snagged her foot in the bed sheets and inelegantly tumbled to the floor. "Ow, geez!" she muttered and scrambled back to her feet, just in time for a young girl to open the door for her. The girl was small but slightly taller than Yoshika, with her thick hair tied back in a braided ponytail. She wore a look of apprehension on her youthful features.

"Yoshika-chan!" Lynette said, her hands clasped together tightly at her chest.

"What's wrong? Lynne-chan? What's going on?" demanded Yoshika, using one hand to rub her eyes awake and her other hand to untangle herself from the bed sheets.

"It's the alarm, Yoshika! That means a Neuroi must be headed our way. Quickly, we'd better hurry!" Lynette sounded worried.

"OK, I'm right with you. Let's go!" agreed Yoshika, and together they rushed down the corridor.

They almost bumped into Shirley as they rounded a corner at pace, and after barely managing to dodge her, the pair ran straight into Perrine, knocking her to the floor.

"Oh my goodness! What are you two idiots doing? Get off me!" snarled Perrine angrily.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Perrine-san!" exclaimed Lynette as she picked herself up.

"I'm sorry too," added Yoshika bashfully.

"Honestly, what in the world-" began Perrine, but was cut off by Shirley yawning loudly. After visibly flinching, Perrine regained her composure and glared at the American.

"What is all this anyway? Seriously, what time is it? Didn't we just beat one of those things yesterday? Man, can't I catch up on my sleep..." Shirley mumbled drowsily, scratching her head.

Further down the corridor, a female voice could be heard shouting. It sounded angry, and was getting louder and louder.

"Oi! Hartmann! Wake up already!" Barkhorn yelled at her fellow countryman.

"Mm...just 40 minutes longer..." came the reply from Hartmann.

Barkhorn's face flushed with a combination of anger and frustration. She clenched her fists at her side and continued to shout.

"There's no time for this, the enemy is coming! Get the hell up right now Hartmann! Get your shit together and let's MOVE!" she practically screamed the last word, her voice piercing the air like a shotgun blast.

"Mm...OK then...just gimme 20 minutes more..." Hartmann muttered and rolled over.

About 15 minutes later, every member of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing was assembled in the main briefing room. Except for Hartmann, who Barkhorn had apparently been unable to rouse.

All the girls were tired, yawning and in various states of undress, their hair dishevelled and their eyes heavy. Apart from one girl.

Major Mio Sakamoto stood perfectly still at the front of the briefing room, her one visible eye surveying the girls before her. The uniform she wore was spotless and looked like it had recently been pressed. Her hair, as always, was immaculately neat and tied back into a simple yet elegant ponytail. She stood rigidly at attention, ever alert. She looked at the women in front of her. They were all tired, battling the Neuroi was no easy task, however she felt they were slacking off lately and that was the one thing she would never do. She would fight with everything she had until her last breath. Seeing these girls before her, yawning and barely awake, a full eighteen minutes after sounding the alarm, filled her with exasperation.

Sakamoto turned around and pressed a hidden button on the wall behind her. The alarm went dead. In its absence, the silence felt wrong somehow. Sakamoto turned back to face everyone and spoke.

"Attention, everyone! There is no enemy. I repeat, no Neuroi have been detected. This was, for lack of a better term, a false alarm."

"Eh? You mean you dragged us out here for nothin'? Aw man, I'm goin' back to bed..." Lucchini said, standing up. She began to move, but then she froze in her tracks, realizing Sakamoto's gaze was burning into her with an almost menacing ferocity. The Major was not a woman to be trifled with.

"Ensign Francesca Lucchini. SIT!" barked Sakamoto.

"Eep!" Lucchini gulped and then quickly sat back down.

"What exactly do you mean, Major?" asked Barkhorn. Apart from Sakamoto, she was the only other person who looked awake. "What is going on? Is this some kind of drill?"

"Not exactly. This was more to test a suspicion I had, and unfortunately that suspicion was confirmed just now," replied Sakamoto.

"What are you talking about, Major?" Perrine asked politely, brushing a stray strand of blonde hair out of her face.

"Allow me to explain. Lately you have all become too relaxed. Battling the Neuroi is no joke. We are fighting for our lives, for our very existence, and for all the millions of people in the world whose homes are threatened by this alien menace." Sakamoto stepped forward to press the point home.

"If we fail, there are no second chances. Failure means death. Death means the skies of Britannia will be undefended. If that happens, Britannia will fall, and the Neuroi may well be able to wipe the human race off the face of the world, forever!"

Sakamoto paused. She then realised she had almost yelled that last part, in the heat of emotion. Every girl in the room looked at her in stunned silence, suddenly much more awake. Sakamoto took a deep breath, and in a calmer voice, continued.

"We cannot surrender. As far as we can tell, the Neuroi do not take prisoners. Death is unacceptable. The only option we have is to win. To that end," she said. "We must train harder. We must train to win. If this had been a real attack, we could all be dead by now. So, we will start by doubling, no, tripling your training regimens, beginning today!"

"Geh?" was the response from everyone.

_To be continued_

* * *

OK, this is my first attempt at fanfic-writing, so be kind with comments and reviews :-) Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2 A confession is made

**Chapter 2**

"What's the hold-up, Sergeant Bishop? Don't you like training, is that it?" shouted Sakamoto, her steely gaze eyeing the Briton.

"N-No, that's not it...," panted Lynette, who was struggling to keep up with the rest of the squadron as they ran laps around the base. Sweat was pouring off her. It was an unusually warm day for Britannia at this time of year and apparently it was taking its toll on everyone.

Sakamoto silently thought to herself: Well, we're off to a fine start. No excuses. Keep going!

"I'll remind you, sergeant, that the last person to finish this drill has to run another 10 laps. Let's move!" and with that, Sakamoto increased her pace, widening the gap between her and Lynette. Seconds later, the Major had caught up with the rest of the girls.

"What's wrong Miyafuji? You're not tiring already are you? We're just getting started here, you know!" she barked at the young Fuso girl.

Miyafuji glanced across at Sakamoto, who was now running alongside her. "No ma'am!" she said breathlessly, her face flushed due to exertion.

Sakamoto smiled. The young girl from Fuso was a sweet person. If anything, she was too sweet. She trusted people far too easily, was too eager to see nothing but good in people, oblivious to the bad traits that might lie within. She was naive and inexperienced, but she had other qualities that more than made up for this behaviour. Miyafuji had an almost boundless amount of enthusiasm and determination. This, coupled with her ability to learn quickly and her strong sense of loyalty, made her a valuable member of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing.

It almost pained Sakamoto to admit, but morale had been flagging recently in their squadron. Miyafuji's arrival had provided a much-needed boost and injection of youth and energy. She hoped it would be enough to help them topple the Neuroi threat, and quickly. It had already been months of solid fighting and now supplies were beginning to run low, people were tired and tempers were becoming strained. They were in no position to mount a sustained operation and she knew it. If that wasn't bad enough, her powers were...

No. She stopped herself in mid-thought. "I mustn't think of that. I must focus on training!" she whispered to herself. With that thought in mind, she pushed herself to run faster. She took a deep breath and shot across the tarmac at top speed, prompting a few surprised looks from the rest of the girls.

"How is that even possible? I'm losing in a race of speed? No way!" gasped Shirley, struggling to keep up with Sakamoto, her feet pounding the ground relentlessly.

"That's...that's the Major for you," panted Perrine, sweat trickling down her face. She gazed at Sakamoto with a mixture of awe and self-loathing. It was well known that Perrine idolised the Major, but there was another aspect of her that nobody really knew. Despite her fierce pride, Perrine could be awfully hard on herself if she didn't match up to her own self-imposed expectations. She couldn't help but compare herself to the Major, a woman she held in such high esteem, and fail to match up to her. The French girl slowed down a little and thought absently: I wish I was more like her...

Sometime later, the exercise drills finished.

"Ok, everyone, good work!" commended Sakamoto, who was only slightly out of breath. "Take this time to rest, eat something and recover. After lunch, we'll be doing combat flight training, so prepare yourselves!"

All the other girls sat, kneeled or lay sprawled on the grassy gardens in the grounds of the base. They were all panting heavily and occasionally gulping down water from bottles that, unfortunately, had become warm in the heat. Miyafuji didn't mind one bit. It wasn't exactly home, but the training and the weather reminded her of Fuso and that cheered her up. Her legs burned and throbbed after the morning drills, but she couldn't help but smile a little. Even Sakamoto reminded her of this one teacher she had back home, who was as tough as nails and didn't take any nonsense from anyone. She made it perfectly clear from the moment anyone walked into her classroom that she was in charge and she was not to be trifled with. "I wonder..." Miyafuji muttered absent-mindedly and tailed off.

"What is it, Yoshika-chan?" asked Lynette, whose face was still red after the exercise drills.

"Has Sakamoto-san always been like this?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, this intense. It's admirable, but I'm not sure I can keep up this pace forever," Yoshika said.

"I know what you mean. Making us run all these hours in this blistering heat. Look, my skin is all red," complained Eila, her long hair shining in the sunlight. She rubbed her arms, which were beginning to show signs of sunburn.

"Maybe it's for a good reason. Maybe we do need to get stronger in order to beat the Neuroi," Sanya piped up. She was a very shy and reserved girl, but when Eila was around she seemed to grow in confidence, to the point where she didn't mind speaking up every now and then to voice her opinion.

"It's exactly as Sanya says," agreed Barkorn, who took a gulp and finished downing the contents of her water bottle. She set it down on the dry grass beside her and went on. "We could always do with more training. We have to be alert and ever-ready, always prepared. This way, we'll be ready for anything the Neuroi throw at us!"

"Another military lecture. Geez, give it a rest, Trud," mumbled Hartmann irritably as she gazed out to sea.

"I'm hardly in the mood to argue with you right now, Erica," replied Barkhorn crossly, folding her arms. "You were an absolute disgrace this morning. I hope you realise that. A true Karlsland soldier should have more discipline, and should be ready to face any threat without hesitation. You couldn't even be bothered to get up!"

Miyafuji stopped listening. All the other girls chattered away excitably, laughing, joking and arguing, but she remained silent, staring at the grass. It might be nothing, and it's true that she hadn't been here that long so perhaps she was mistaken, but something felt different about Sakamoto today. She tried to bury those concerns at the back of her mind and tried to focus on training instead, but she couldn't stop herself from worrying for some reason.

"That was, um, very comprehensive training this morning, Mio," said Commander Minna, struggling to find the appropriate word for the hellishly difficult workout Sakamoto had put them all through.

"I think it was necessary. I think we'll be stronger if we continue like this," came the flat response from the Major.

Minna paused for a moment and eyed her comrade carefully. Sakamoto was often serious about duty, but never this serious. She seemed to be devoid of emotion this morning and focussed entirely on training at the expense of everything else. She had even technically broken rank and, in a way, had taken over command of the base for the entire morning, barking orders at everyone and making decisions. Minna had let it go so far, but something had clearly unsettled Sakamoto. As her superior officer, she had a duty to find out what it was, if it was perhaps something that could compromise her safety in battle. As her friend, she was deeply concerned and wanted to help in any way she could. However, she was unsure how to go about it.

"Um...Mio..."

"Yes?"

"Is everything alright?"

"What do you mean? Yes, I'm fine."

Minna paused once more. Sakamoto had turned away and was apparently surveying the scenery. With her back to her, Minna couldn't tell what she was doing, but she decided to probe again.

"It's just that...this wasn't like you. You know, this morning."

Sakamoto remained silent.

"I mean, if you had concerns about training, you could have brought them to me directly. We could have discussed them and drawn up new training schedules. But to get us out of bed by sounding a false alarm just to 'test a suspicion'..."

"I wasn't 'testing a suspicion'. I was making a point."

"What is your point exactly, Mio?" Minna was getting more concerned. Sakamoto was being unusually evasive.

The Major turned around to face the Commander. Instinctively, Minna tensed up and stood more rigidly. Sakamoto seemed to have confrontation in her thoughts. Her one visible eye narrowed as she stared at Minna intensely.

"This is my point. All of us, we are too relaxed. We're all slacking off, and I 'm having none of it!" she exclaimed. "Have you forgotten why we're here? What we're doing? Have you forgotten how important, how _vital_ all of this is?"

Minna bristled, uncomfortable at being openly challenged by a subordinate. She was grateful that the two of them were alone. To do this in front of the whole squadron would destroy morale completely and make matters even worse.

"I have forgotten nothing. I am well aware of the gravity of the situation and my responsibilities. I disagree with you, Major Sakamoto," she replied curtly.

"'Major Sakamoto'? Hiding behind rank are we, Minna? You were calling me 'Mio' before."

Minna's eyes narrowed and she unintentionally clenched her jaw. "You want to drop all this pretence? Fine. I'm worried about you, Mio! You're acting like an angry teenager. Or perhaps a spoiled child. Something is clearly bothering you, what is it? Please, tell me! Maybe I can help!"

"Oh, so I'm a spoiled child now, am I? Honestly, this conversation is pointless, Minna. I'm leaving," said Sakamoto. She began to walk away but Minna stepped forward and stopped her, grabbing her arm with an iron grip.

"Stop it! Tell me what is bothering you. This isn't like you at all, Mio!"

Sakamoto looked down at Minna's hand, then she slowly brought her gaze back up to stare directly into the Commander's eyes. "Get. That hand. Off me." She ground out through gritted teeth.

"Not a chance. Not until you tell me what's wrong," said Minna. She tried to sound threatening, but it simply wasn't in her nature. Her eyes burned with ferocity but her lips gave her away. They were silently trembling. Seconds later, a tear rolled down her cheek as her emotions got the better of her. She released her grip on the Major's arm. She expected her to walk away, but she stayed rooted to the spot.

"Mio?" Minna gasped in shock.

Tears were rolling down Sakamoto's face. This proud, fiercely strong woman. A woman who had battled the Neuroi countless times and won. A woman who routinely stared death in the face and slashed at it with her katana. She was crying.

"Why?" Minna whispered softly.

"I...I..." Sakamoto tried to speak, but her voice came out hoarse and weak. "My powers...I can feel them...slipping away. I...I think...this is the end for me..." she sobbed.

* * *

_To be continued_


	3. Chapter 3 A dream is had

**Chapter 3**

Sakamoto wasn't entirely sure how she'd gotten herself into this situation. She had trained hard, almost every single day, in order to stay strong. She had prided herself on being ever-alert and ready to act in any situation. Hers was the way of the warrior; only through battle did she feel truly alive. She had faced countless enemies in an innumerable amount of battles. But now…

But now she found herself breaking down in tears, clutching tightly at Minna's arm as she nestled in the Commander's chest. Her tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably as the emotion poured out of her. If Sakamoto hadn't been so emotional, she would most likely have been disgusted at her own behaviour. To show emotion so freely, so show weakness to somebody like this. It just wasn't her way.

Minna's mind was racing. She didn't know how to act or what to say. All she could do was hold Sakamoto tightly and attempt to console her. Minna tightened her grip, drawing Sakamoto into a closer embrace. To her surprise, Sakamoto responded by burying her face in Minna's upper body, like an upset child clinging unquestioningly to its mother for warmth and safety.

For what felt like an eternity, neither of them uttered a single word, lost in the moment. Then, after her tears subsided, Sakamoto broke the silence. "I bet you think I'm a fool, don't you," she murmured, smiling weakly.

"Of course not! Why would you say such a thing?" replied Minna. She didn't know if it was something akin to maternal instinct or what exactly, but she automatically tightened her grip on Sakamoto as she said this, as if attempting to protect her from some unseen threat.

"I….I guess it's time I was honest with you," Sakamoto said. She withdrew slightly from her commander's embrace and glanced upwards to stare directly into the German woman's deep eyes. They showed nothing but concern and affection. Upon seeing that, Sakamoto couldn't help but soften slightly. She cracked a small smile and continued. "I first noticed it two weeks ago. I'm not sure exactly what is happening but it's definitely getting worse. I thought if trained even harder, maybe I could prolong it, but…" she paused for a moment and swallowed.

"What is it, Mio?"

"I don't know what's happening but I can feel my magic energy changing. It's as if I'm being drained of all my strength somehow. At this rate…" she tailed off again, her head dropping to stare at her own hands.

"But I don't understand," said Minna. "What has changed over the last two weeks? We've repelled two Neuroi attacks, but that's completely normal. The only thing that's different now compared to several weeks ago is…oh my…"

Sakamoto glanced up again. "What?"

"Miyafuji's arrival."

She had decided that there was definitely something odd about all this. She just didn't know what. Miyafuji racked her brains, but it didn't make sense. First of all, they had all been woken abruptly by Major Sakamoto, then she had yelled at them, then they had taken part in the most gruelling training workout she had ever experienced. Then all of a sudden, Commander Minna had shown up (with Sakamoto nowhere to be seen) and informed them combat flight training was cancelled. Hartmann and Barkhorn were ordered to patrol the skies in case the Neuroi actually did show up and everyone else was essentially off-duty. Furrowing her brow in concentration, Miyafuji stared absent-mindedly out of her bedroom window as she tried to make sense of everything.

Sometime later, Barkhorn and Hartmann returned to base, with Barkhorn only slightly chastising the latter for her sloppiness, as she had almost damaged her striker unit with a hasty landing. "The last few moments of any mission can be the most dangerous. That's when everyone lets their guard down and is vulnerable to attack. Don't let it happen to you, Erica!" she had said, her voice bordering on concern.

"Well, for all her sloppiness and disorganised nature, she's still one of the best we've got in combat situations," Barkhorn said quietly to herself (although she'd never admit that openly to anybody) as she walked down the corridor towards the barracks. Just then she spotted Sanya preparing to leave for her night patrol shift. She nodded silently to her and continued on, without breaking her stride. Sanya watched her leave then continued to lace up her shoes.

"Honestly, what is it with her? Is she ever friendly with anyone?" commented Eila as she joined Sanya.

"I think she does care really," said the petite, silver-haired girl. "But she's just bad at showing it. Remind you of anyone?" she added, grinning.

"Err…I don't know what you mean! I don't really care that much about her, or most of the others. Just as long as you're okay, that's all I need to care about!" Eila replied quickly, blushing ever so slightly.

Sanya giggled. "No, you really do care, Eila, I can tell. That's one of the things I love about you."

Although she didn't know why, Eila felt her cheeks reddening at that last comment. "A-anyway, have you noticed how weird everybody is acting today? Sakamoto was crazy this morning, then Minna was acting strange and Miyafuji's been in her room all evening," she said, trying to change the subject.

Sanya nodded. "I don't know what's up, but hopefully it's nothing serious," she replied as she finished tying her shoes and stood up. She started to leave, but Eila put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

"Eila?"

"Be careful out there tonight, Sanya. I have a feeling something big is going to happen soon."

"You mean your tarot cards?"

"Not just that. I have a really, really bad feeling, that's all," Eila said. She moved closer as if to embrace Sanya, but then stopped and pulled back. "Just…make sure you come home in one piece, ok?"

Sanya responded by smiling the sweetest smile Eila had ever seen. At that moment, all she wanted to do was step forward and embrace her, hold her in her arms to protect her and never let her go. But she couldn't. All she did was smile weakly as Sanya said "I will."

Eila watched the young girl leave with a lump in her throat and a knot in her stomach. Fighting her bodily sensations, she turned sharply on her heels and walked in the opposite direction. The unexplainable anxiety was puzzling and annoying her. Sanya had done plenty of night patrols before, so why the bad feeling about this one? Stubbornly Eila fought her nervousness and went to take a shower. "Maybe that'll wash away these feelings," she said to herself hopefully. "Or at least give me five minutes to clear my head so I can think straight."

Miyafuji again had trouble sleeping, her worrying thoughts about Sakamoto keeping her awake. She tossed and turned for what felt like an eternity, her bed sheets soaked with perspiration. Eventually tiredness washed over her and she drifted off into an uneasy dream. She found herself standing alone and in silence in an unknown large chamber. It was dark but the walls glowed with a spooky gleam despite the absence of any apparent light source. She moved over to one of the walls and examined it. It was made of some kind of stone, smooth to the touch and faintly warm. Miyafuji looked around but could see no visible exit. Suddenly red glowing eyes appeared without warning in front of her, hovering in the centre of the chamber. "Yaah!" Miyafuji spluttered instinctively in shock. The eyes seemed to study her coldly, then a voice could be heard calling her.

"Yoshika…"

"Yoshika…"

"Wait!" she screamed in panic, waking herself in the process. She sat up in bed, breathing heavily.

"What…was that?" she said to nobody in particular. "It felt like….a Neuroi…"

High up in the night sky, Sanya flew higher and higher. She crested the top of the last cloud layer and gasped. The view never ceased to amaze and captivate her. She could see for miles in all directions, the faintly blue clouds below her stretching off into the distance. It was quiet. She looked up at the stars, twinkling prettily and then she gazed up at the large moon. It was a full moon tonight and with no clouds or extraneous lights to obstruct her vision, she saw it in its full glory. It was beautiful.

She accelerated through the night sky and couldn't help but beam as she enjoyed the sensation of the wind on her face. "This is the best," she grinned happily. Then she thought longingly: I wish Eila were here to see this with me.

Sanya suddenly snapped back to reality. She could sense something. "What is that?" she said aloud.

Straining her ears, she could hear a voice. Disturbingly, it didn't sound completely human, it was different somehow. She tried and tried, but she couldn't make out what it was saying. Closing her eyes, Sanya concentrated and pushed her senses to the limit.

"Yoshika…" the voice called.

"Who on earth is that? And what do they want with Miyafuji?" the Orussian girl pondered.

All of a sudden, a synthesized alien scream pierced the air, sending a shiver up Sanya's spine. She opened her eyes just in time to see a Neuroi craft speeding straight towards her.

* * *

_To be continued_


	4. Chapter 4 A Neuroi is discovered

**Chapter 4**

Sanya instinctively barrel-rolled to her left and just barely managed to avoid colliding with the enemy craft as it hurtled past her. Sakamoto had taught her that manoeuvre shortly after Sanya had moved to Britannia to join the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, and it had undoubtedly saved her life in that split-second. Sanya felt her heart thudding in her chest as she whirled around to determine the Neuroi's position; it was arcing back slowly to prepare for another attack. The moonlight shone on the alien craft's unusual skin and reflected strange hues of blue, purple and red all over the clouds. At another time, Sanya might have marvelled at the beauty of it, but not after she had narrowly avoided being killed by the damn thing. She shouldered her missile launcher and steadied her aim, her finger pressing lightly on the trigger. The Neuroi let out another piercing whine which made Sanya shudder, then it rocketed through the night sky at lightning speed. Either intentionally or unintentionally, the alien craft missed Sanya by several feet as it sped past her. Sanya could do nothing but blink dumbly as she realised the Neuroi was now behind her. How could it move that fast? She thought to herself.

She spun around quickly, aimed roughly in the Neuroi's direction and squeezed the trigger hard. A stream of rockets discharged from her launcher, their propellant leaving clouds of exhaust in their wake. Sanya watched with a small smirk as she saw the missiles impact and detonate on the Neuroi craft. "Not so fast now, are you?" she muttered to herself, relieved. Then she looked on in horror as the smoke cleared and she realised her target was not even scratched, let alone severely damaged. "It's not regenerating? Does that mean I didn't even damage it?" she exclaimed incredulously, clutching tighter on the handle of her rocket launcher. Panic gripped her and she could feel her heart-rate rising, her breathing quickening. "What do I do?" she whispered. The Neuroi began another approach and upon seeing this, Sanya's reflexes took over and she squeezed the trigger, once more releasing a salvo of rockets into the night sky. The Neuroi craft moved with a kind of unearthly agility, evading the incoming attacks with ease.

"Yoshika…" it kept repeating in an inhuman voice.

"Yoshika…"

"W-What do I do?" Sanya stammered nervously. Her attacks weren't even landing. She glanced at her ammo counter, which read zero.

"Oh no! I'm out of rockets! I'll never outrun that thing if it can move that fast!" she cried out. The Neuroi craft kept approaching, its velocity increasing steadily.

Suddenly a voice pierced the air. It was not an inhuman approximation of a voice, like the sound waves generated by the Neuroi. It was a human female voice, and it sounded desperately concerned.

"Sanya! Look out!"

The Orussian girl barely had time to feel a hand grab her, before she was yanked several metres to the right. A Neuroi beam shot through the air, passing through the space that Sanya was occupying mere moments ago. It lit up the night sky with a brilliant crimson colour then disappeared as rapidly as it had appeared. The nearby clouds crackled with static electricity as the beam dispersed.

"What the-" began Sanya, looking upwards to see the owner of the hand that had pulled her out of harm's way. "Eila!" the silver-haired girl squealed in equal amounts shock and delight.

"Are you alright, Sanya? Are you hurt?" Eila asked.

"I-I'm okay…" Sanya replied, regaining some of her composure. "Be careful, Eila! That thing isn't like a normal Neuroi! It's fast and I think it can speak!"

Eila barely had time to digest that news before she saw what was going to happen. She darted to the left, dragging a slightly surprised Sanya with her. A second Neuroi beam sliced through the air where they had been.

"How dare you!" Eila shouted angrily, gripping her weapon tightly. In one smooth motion she released her hold on Sanya and launched herself towards the Neuroi at top speed. "How dare you do that!" she opened fire and bullets peppered the alien craft's skin, making it sparkle and twinkle under the impacts.

"DON'T HURT SANYA!" screamed Eila at the top of her lungs.

The reason for what happened next is anybody's guess. The Neuroi craft suddenly performed a sharp 180 degree turn and shot across the sky with a burst of speed. Apparently retreating, it soon passed through the clouds and was gone.

Eila then realised she had been holding her breath and clenching her teeth in a mixture of anger and anxiety. She let out a long breath and relaxed – the Neuroi had vanished. Quickly she returned to Sanya's side. The petite Orussian girl was smiling the same sweet smile she had smiled just hours earlier. Although clearly shaken by the whole ordeal, she seemed to be alright.

"Eila…"

"Are you really OK, Sanya?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Really."

"Thank God!"

"Eila, what are you doing out here?"

"I told you I had a really bad feeling about tonight. Something compelled me to put on my striker unit and go after you." She let out another long breath. "I'm so glad I did! I'm so glad you're OK!"

Eila then did what she had wanted to do back at the base. She pulled Sanya into a tight embrace and held her. Sanya was a little surprised but said nothing. Even as her cheeks went red, she didn't care. Her whole body suddenly felt warm and relaxed in Eila's comforting clinch. Snaking her free arm around the taller girl's neck, Sanya cuddled her back. Nothing mattered to her anymore. The near-death experience had put everything into perspective; tomorrow they could both be dead, there was no point in being coy any longer. Sanya glanced at their dreamy surroundings, straight out of a fairytale: the clouds coated in the moon's soft light, the bright stars sparkling atop the jet-black background and the moon hanging in the night sky like a polished, gleaming jewel.

And now she had Eila.

_Her_ Eila.

Everything was perfect.

As for Eila, she was barely even aware of what she was doing. Her only thoughts were of protecting Sanya and keeping her safe. She hugged the petite girl tightly.

A single teardrop trickled down Sanya's cheek, partly due to the emotional relief of surviving the Neuroi attack but mostly due to finally being this close to Eila. Upon seeing this, the Suomus girl said "Are you alright, Sanya?"

Sanya looked up at Eila with that sweet smile again. "Everything's fine now."

As they stared into each other's eyes, they both realised how they felt.

Eila captured Sanya's lips with a tender kiss for several seconds (which the Orussian girl reciprocated), then pulled back and couldn't help but grin at Sanya happily. Sanya's eyes twinkled with one part affection, one part mischief, as if to say 'What took you so long? I've been dropping hints for ages here!'

Although a part of her wished to remain forever in this wonderful dream high above the clouds, Eila decided they had better move. "Let's go back to base and see if we can make sense of all this."

* * *

"Really? Are you sure?" Minna asked in disbelief.

"No doubt whatsoever," Eila replied wearily, wondering just how many times she would have to repeat herself until it sunk in and the Commander believed her tale. It was just about dawn back at base and thin rays of sunlight were beginning to show themselves on the horizon, casting long shadows as the light poured into the room where the girls were. Every single member of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing was present, initially to check on Eila and Sanya's wellbeing and then afterwards to participate in the heated discussion that followed.

"This is very unusual behaviour for the Neuroi," said Sakamoto, her curiosity piqued. "They have attempted to imitate Sanya's behaviour before, but to actually produce human words like that…"

"Are you certain it said 'Yoshika'? It wasn't just your imagination under the stress of combat?" inquired Barkhorn. Eila briefly shot her Karlsland ally an irritated glance, partly due to tiredness and partly due to the other's assertion that she would be so stressed under fire that she might accidently imagine something as important as this. She resented the insinuation.

"I'm certain," Eila replied flatly.

"It was so weird…" Sanya said quietly, feeling a little shy at being the centre of attention for so long. She unconsciously clung to Eila's arm for support. "It wasn't like when you normally hear a voice. I can sense things, but I can tell the difference between what someone says when they speak and other things like radio waves. It was almost as if the Neuroi's voice was" - she shivered and felt physically sick as she remembered - "inside…my head."

Eila automatically put her arm around Sanya and pulled her closer to comfort her. If any of the girls noticed the newfound closeness between the two, they did not say anything about it, although Hartmann appeared to raise an eyebrow and suppress a smirk, suggesting she might have something to say about this later.

"How can that be?" whispered Perrine under her breath. She found the thought of a Neuroi being so close as to appear to be inside her head repulsive. She shifted uneasily in her seat.

"We didn't even know about Miyafuji until several weeks ago," Shirley pointed out. "How could the Neuroi possibly know her name?" She leaned back and crossed her arms in thought, making her ample bust stretch the fabric of her top to breaking point.

Uncharacteristically, Lucchini ignored this and moaned "I don't get it, what does it matter? A Neuroi is a Neuroi, right? Don't we just shoot the thing like normal?"

"No," Minna responded firmly. "Our orders in this matter are clear. If there is any possibility of communicating with the Neuroi and negotiating a ceasefire, we have to investigate it. Our priority is bringing about an end to this war."

"As hard as it is for me to say this, I actually agree with Lucchini for once," said Barkhorn, prompting the young Italian girl to stick her tongue out at her childishly. "The Neuroi have not shown any interest in communicating with us so far. Force is the only language they understand."

"I am inclined to agree. Nevertheless, Minna is right. We have to try and communicate back. The question is, how do we do that?" said Sakamoto.

Throughout the entire debate, Miyafuji had kept quiet. Her dream about the Neuroi couldn't have been a coincidence; it had to be related somehow. But what did it all mean? She didn't have an answer, but she decided to speak up and mention it anyway.

"Um, the thing is…"

"What is it, Yoshika-chan?" asked Lynette caringly, who was sat next to the young Fuso girl.

"I…I had a really weird dream last night. I dreamt about being in a strange, dark place all alone. There were these eyes and this voice that wouldn't stop calling me…" she tailed off as she tried to remember as many details as she could.

"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Perrine, ready to instantly dismiss the new recruit's comments.

"It felt like-" Miyafuji stopped for a moment then continued, "-a Neuroi was…inside…my head too...at least, I think it was a Neuroi…"

Perrine grew slightly irritated. Perhaps it was because of the apparent closeness between the young Fuso girl and Major Sakamoto (she thought: it should be _me_, not her!), even though the former had only recently arrived at base a few weeks ago. Whatever the reason, the French girl said "What nonsense is this? We are having a serious discussion here about a possible new Neuroi threat. We don't need you babbling on about some kind of dream!" She waved her hand dismissively at Miyafuji, as if encouraging her to either shut up or go back to bed.

"Perrine-san, that's a little-" started Lynette, but she quickly shushed when she caught the glare Perrine gave her.

"I-I think it might mean something," Miyafuji said with determination.

"I fail to see how a dream could relate to what we're talking about here," agreed Barkhorn, who was the type to only believe something if she had seen it with her own two eyes first.

"Hang on a sec, what did the thing in your dream say to you, Yoshika?" asked Hartmann, ignoring her compatriot's statement.

"Wha-? Erica?" said Barkhorn in surprise.

"What did it say?" asked Miyafuji.

"Yeah, in your dream. You said it was calling you. What did it say?" Hartmann inquired, growing more interested. Miyafuji concentrated hard, trying to remember.

"I think it was calling me by my first name. It said 'Yoshika' over and over again…I think…" It all seemed to be becoming vague to the young Fuso girl. Her memories of the dream were getting hazy, as soon as she grasped for them, they disappeared like smoke.

"Sounds scary!" commented Lucchini, who was rocking back and forth on her chair.

"That does tie in with what happened to Sanya. The Neuroi she and Eila fought said the same thing, right?" said Shirley.

"Uh-huh," grunted Eila in agreement, her arm still around Sanya.

"This all sounds intriguing, but how could Miyafuji possibly have heard that? It was miles offshore. She doesn't have the ability to sense things like Sanya can," pointed out Sakamoto.

"This is all speculation," said Minna. "It is possible that these two events are related, although it seems far more likely that Sergeant Miyafuji has simply had a bad dream. If the Neuroi were attempting to communicate in some unusual manner, such as through our dreams, why has no one else had a similar experience?"

The room fell silent as everybody considered this.

"In any event, I believe it would be in our best interests to monitor all radio wavelengths for any further attempts at communication by the Neuroi. We'll take turns, I want somebody right here by the radio at all times in case we pick something up," decided Minna. "We will also increase the number of our patrols. I want to monitor as much of the sky as possible in case that Neuroi comes back again."

Everybody apart from Minna and Sakamoto began grumbling and muttering at this comment, unenthusiastic about the prospect of more shifts. Even Barkhorn, normally rigid and uncompromising in her following of military protocol, appeared less than happy.

"But-" Miyafuji started.

"I think we'll leave it there for now, Miyafuji," said Minna in a gentle but firm voice, shushing the young girl. "We're all tired and I imagine Eila and Sanya want to catch up on some sleep now."

I don't think _sleep_ is the thing on their minds right now! Hartmann thought as she failed to suppress a giggle. Barkhorn, who was the only one close enough to Hartmann to hear this, gave her comrade a funny look in response.

"I want you, Sergeant Bishop and Lieutenant Clostermann to leave for morning patrol in-" Minna glanced at her watch, "-20 minutes."

"But…" Miyafuji repeated to no avail, as the girls started filing out of the room.

"Honestly, why must I accompany them?" muttered Perrine in a voice that was quiet enough to go undetected by everybody else but deliberately loud enough so Miyafuji and Lynette would hear her displeasure.

"Why won't they listen? I'm sure this means something…" the young Fuso girl said aloud.

"Come on, Yoshika-chan, we'd better get ready," said Lynette.

"Alright, Lynne-chan, I'm coming," came the reply and with that, the three girls left to get ready.

* * *

_To be continued..._

Well, that's it for Chapter 4. Thanks for the comments and views, I hope you're enjoying reading this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it! :-) I'll try and get chapter 5 up soon!


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